Department for Transport

Railways: Tourists

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the customer experience of long-distance railway journeys for tourists; and what plans they have, if any, to improve that experience.

baroness vere of norbiton: The latest National Rail Passenger Survey figures for Spring 2019 concluded overall passenger satisfaction for long-distance leisure travellers is 90%.We are working collaboratively with train operators and other stakeholders to deliver the best possible experience for all passengers both on trains and at stations. This includes investing £48 billion to modernise our rail network to ensure passengers have the services they expect.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimatethey have made of the present total cost of HS2.

baroness vere of norbiton: HS2 Ltd continues to update its cost estimates as the project develops. In relation to HS2 Phase One, we will make these details public as part of the business case which will inform Notice to Proceed later in 2019.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Palestinians: Recognition of States

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 July (HL16851) that continuing Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank makes the two-state solution more difficult to achieve, when they intend to recognise Palestine as an independent state.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK is clear on our position regarding Israeli settlements in the West Bank: they are illegal under international law and make the two-state solution harder to achieve. We are clear that we want to see the creation of a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state - living in peace and security, side by side with Israel. The UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a time when it best serves the objective of peace. Bilateral recognition in itself cannot end the occupation. Without a negotiated settlement the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue.

Gaza: Fuel Poverty

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported use of collective punishment by the government of Israel, and in particular, the impact of that policy on the level of fuel poverty in Gaza.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have serious concerns about Israel's movement and access restrictions on Gaza, and are deeply concerned by the fuel shortages, which are exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation. The Minster for the Middle East discussed the situation in Gaza during his visit there in May. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate-General in Jerusalem frequently urge the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to take steps to improve conditions in Gaza. Addressing Gaza's energy shortfall is critical. We are working to address the underlying causes of the humanitarian situation in Gaza by focusing on economic development, including enhancing the supply of electricity.

Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the Prime Minister of Israel that the government of Israel will never dismantle any settlements in the West Bank.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We regularly raise our grave concerns on this issue with the Government of Israel and urge it to reverse its policy of settlement expansion.

Gaza: Agriculture

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the reported (1) destruction of crops, and (2) long-term damage to farmland, in Gaza caused by the use of herbicides by Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of reports of the spraying of herbicides by the Israeli military. We will raise our concerns on this matter with the Israeli authorities in due course. Such damage is would be destructive to peace efforts.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is any difference between the treatment of Palestinians and Israelis who have committed a crime by Israeli authorities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned by aspects of the Israeli military justice and detention system which applies to Palestinians. We continue to regularly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

Jerusalem: Demolition

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the demolition of homes and buildings in the Palestinian Authority-controlled area of Wadi Hummus; and what assessment they have made of any future implications of any such demolition for other properties in Palestinian Authority areas.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In a statement on 23 July the British Government, along with the Governments of France, Germany and Spain, strongly condemned the demolition by Israel of buildings in the district of Wadi al Hummus.We remain seriously concerned by the continued demolition of Palestinian property by Israeli authorities. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolition in occupied territories is contrary to International Humanitarian Law and to UN Security Council resolutions. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. The UK is focused on preventing demolitions from happening in the first place through our funding to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme which helps residents challenge decisions in the Israeli legal system.

Department for International Development

Sustainable Development

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps are they taking alongside international partners to promote the Sustainable Development Goals.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government is firmly committed to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are embedded in the UK Aid Strategy and DFID’s Single Departmental Plan which is now modelled around the 5Ps of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships. The first Voluntary National Review (VNR) of UK progress towards the SDGs, published in June and presented to the UN in July, highlights the range of activities the Government and a wide variety of partners are undertaking to deliver the Goals at home and abroad. In preparing the Review, the Government participated in 35 engagement events, consulted over 350 organisations and received 270 case studies. The Government has also sought the views of over 6,000 members of the public on investing in the SDGs. The UK’s support for international development is our major contribution to delivering the Goals abroad and entails close cooperation and coordination with other bilateral partners and numerous multilateral organisations. Activities include support for health and education, peace and security and climate action. There is still more to be done. The SDG Summit at the UN General Assembly in September will be an important global moment for the UK and partners to further promote the Goals, and reaffirm their commitment to delivering them.

Developing Countries: Fisheries

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress have they made in promoting sustainable fishing in developing countries.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Department for International Development’s (DFID) portfolio of commercial agriculture programmes includes support which helps promote the development of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in developing countries. For example, the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) programme in Myanmar promotes community management of wild fisheries. Poor households have better maintained their fish stocks, and adopted new marketing practices, which has helped improve their income and food and nutrition security. The new DFID Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness programme will provide technical assistance to small local businesses working in the aquaculture sector in Malawi and will work with investors to promote responsible investment in this sector. DFID is also supporting sustainable small-scale aquaculture, and our support has contributed to improving the fish-based livelihoods of 51,235 households and 72,264 people. As part of our cross-Government commitment to protecting the global environment, DFID has provided £150 million and DEFRA £100 million funding to the Global Environment Facility 7th replenishment (2018-2022), which includes support for small island developing states in managing their marine territories. We also provide a core contribution to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which supports countries in sustainable fisheries management. Progress is reported in the FAO’s flagship State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture.

Developing Countries: Water Supply

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance theyare providing to the developing countries which are most vulnerable to water scarcity.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: One-third of the world’s people live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least 1 month of the year and global demand is now expected to outstrip supply by 40% in 2030, based on current trends. Our focus has been on access to water and sanitation, and since 2015 DFID has helped more than 51 million people in Africa and Asia gain access to a drinking water supply or toilet facilities. We have recognised the need to invest more in addressing water scarcity, and we are funding a £52m Water Security programme to look at how best to integrate water resource management into development programmes, particularly in cities and agriculture. New programming being developed on water will have a focus on water scarcity.

Sustainable Development

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they will put in place to aid progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government is committed to delivering the Goals at home and around the world. The UK’s first Voluntary National Review shows some of the actions we are taking on all 17 Goals, and the progress we are making. For example, our pioneering Modern Slavery Act is supporting our delivery of Goals 8 and 16, to tackle injustices and exploitation in the UK and internationally. The Goals are embedded in departments’ single departmental plans – this remains the most effective mechanism for monitoring their delivery. Following the Voluntary National Review, we are reviewing existing mechanisms that oversee Government’s contribution to domestic delivery of the Goals, building on the Single Departmental Plan process. This will strengthen accountability and cross-government work on the Goals.

Developing Countries: Food Supply

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UN report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, published on 15 July,which suggests an increase in food insecurity in the developing world.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report shows that progress without significantly increased efforts, the world will fall far short of achieving the target of eradicating hunger by 2030. The UK is playing its part to ending hunger and undernutrition through its substantial portfolio of humanitarian support and longer-term responses to tackling chronic hunger and supporting food security by transforming agriculture. We are aware that the international community needs to do more. We are discussing opportunities for scaled-up and improved global interventions, including the German-initiated proposal for a major SDG2 event in 2020, bringing together world leaders to agree commitments to reverse the negative trend on hunger and progress SDG2 on the road to 2030, and are supporting the Government of Japan in its preparations for the 2020 Nutrition for Growth Summit.

Eritrea: Humanitarian Aid

lord sheikh: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current humanitarian situation in Eritrea.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Eritrea’s location in the Horn of Africa makes it susceptible to extreme weather events such as droughts and flooding. We are concerned by deteriorating levels of food security in the Horn of Africa as a result of poor rainfall across much of the region. Slower economic growth and the residual effects of war also perpetuate the vulnerability of Eritrea’s population. DFID has funded life-saving activity in Eritrea for several years, including providing £3.24m to UNICEF in 2018-19 to help treat malnutrition in under-fives and provide access to safe hygiene and sanitation services. DFID has recently agreed to extend funding to UNICEF Eritrea until March 2021.

North Korea: Droughts

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of an early season drought in North Korea and its impact on harvests, food production, health and levels of malnutrition in that country.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The humanitarian situation in DPRK is a grave concern. The UN estimates that rainfall levels are relatively low in North Korea and food production is subsequently estimated at about 5 million tons, the lowest in 10 years. 10.1 million people – 40% of the population – require food assistance.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Refugees

the lord bishop of durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are offering the government of Burundi in hosting Congolese refugees being displaced through the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Department for International Development’s (DFID) humanitarian programme in Burundi is addressing food insecurity and malnutrition, providing support to internally displaced people and to returning refugees and their host communities. It does not provide support to Congolese refugees. We continue to monitor the overall humanitarian situation in Burundi, including that of Congolese refugees, given ongoing risks in the country. The UK also remains committed to reducing poverty and instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – a key driver for migration to neighbouring countries. The UK is funding stabilisation activities in Eastern DRC to address the underlying drivers of conflict, and we remain at the forefront of the humanitarian response in the DRC.

Department for Work and Pensions

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

baroness mcdonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been paid in housing benefit to those in private rented accommodation in each year since 2004.

baroness stedman-scott: The information you have requested can be found in the following table: Housing Benefit Expenditure Private Rented Sector tenants (£ million, nominal terms)2004/052005/062006/072007/082008/093,3543,7164,2764,6985,6242009/102010/112011/122012/132013/147,5728,6729,2169,2729,2752014/152015/162016/172017/189,0988,7838,2917,709

Formaldehyde: Industrial Health and Safety

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Health and Safety Executive will revisit its current work place exposure limits for formaldehyde.

baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of occupational exposure limits and maximum exposure limits for formaldehyde in the UK being higher than those of France, Germany and several other European member states.

baroness stedman-scott: The EU has recently reviewed the occupational exposure limit value for formaldehyde, and in the Phase 3 amendment to the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive 2004/37/EC, introduced a new binding occupational exposure limit value (BOELV) of 0.3ppm, which came into force on 11 July 2019. The current GB work place exposure limit (WEL) is 2ppm. Member States have two years to transpose the new BOELV (i.e. by 11 July 2021). Because of differences in cultural practices; cost of embalming and greater capacity in the facilities available; and the limited use of embalming in other Members States, the UK negotiated an additional 3-year transitional period (until July 2024) for the funeral and embalming sector, during which time an interim BOELV of 0.5ppm will apply. This is to allow the UK funeral and embalming sector to comply with the Directive without incurring disproportionate costs. The Health and Safety Executive is currently working to implement the revised exposure limits for formaldehyde.

Poverty

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the National School Breakfast Programme feeding an estimated 280,000 children, (2) the number of pupils receiving Free School Meals, (3) the incidence of food banks, food pantries and similar help in kind, throughout England and Wales; and what consideration they are giving, as a result of any such assessment, to reviewing their policies to address destitution, food and fuel poverty and ensure sufficient services to prevent poverty.

baroness stedman-scott: The Government is committed to tackling poverty in all its forms by building a strong economy and a benefit system that supports employment and higher pay. A child growing up in a home where all adults are working is around 5 times less likely to be in poverty than a child in a household where nobody works. Since 2010, there are around 1 million fewer workless households and 667,000 fewer children in such households.To help make sure every child gets the best start in life, the Department for Education is investing up to £26 million in a programme to establish or improve breakfast clubs in over 1,700 schools, targeting most disadvantaged areas. The programme’s effectiveness will be reviewed once it concludes next year. Additionally, over 1.2 million of the most disadvantaged children receive a free school meal.The Government has not made an assessment of the incidence of food banks or similar charity-based provision in England and Wales. However, new questions have been added to the Family Resources Survey to develop a food insecurity measure from 2021 to help better understand the drivers of food insecurity and identify which groups are most at risk.This Government spend more on family benefits than any other country in the G7, at 3.5% of GDP (OECD, 2015 data), demonstrating a commitment to providing a strong safety net for those that need it.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Sheep Meat: UK Trade with EU

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of warnings from the National Farmers’ Union that leaving the EU without a deal could lead to sheep farmers going out of business and slaughtering their flocks; and whatsteps they intend to take in response.

lord gardiner of kimble: The government recognises the particular concerns of our UK sheep farmers and is determined to support them as we leave the EU. The UK is one of the largest producers of sheep in the world and by far the largest exporter of sheepmeat in the EU. Tariffs on trade are ultimately a tax on consumers, and economic modelling shows that if the EU were to apply the full Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff on the sheep sector, lamb prices in the EU are likely to rise. This may dampen demand in the EU resulting in more lamb seeking a market in the UK. Other leading producers like New Zealand may also retreat from the UK market and focus instead on the European market. Analysis by the NFU suggests that the total cost to the sheep industry in year one under a no deal scenario would be approximately £150 million. Defra is designing contingency plans to ensure that we have the option to provide income support to farmers in the aftermath of a ‘no deal’ exit to mitigate this effect.

Home Office

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are giving a guarantee toEU citizens who are resident in the UK that the proposals for settled status and pre-settled status will apply whether or not there is a negotiated deal for the UK leaving the EU; and whether they are guaranteeing that settled status will last for life once granted.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimates they have made of the number of EU citizens who (1) are resident in the UK,(2) will have applied for settled status by the end of 2020, and (3) will still be living in the UK by the end of 2020 without having made an application for settled status.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures they plan to have in place to apply to EU citizens who are resident in the UK at the end of 2020 who will have (1) applied for settled status but not been granted either that status or pre-settled-status, and (2) not made an application by that date.

baroness williams of trafford: On 6 December 2018 the Government confirmed that the EU Settlement Scheme will continue to operate whether the UK leaves the European Union with or without a negotiated deal. This ensures that the rights of EEA and Swiss citizens resident in the UK before it leaves the EU will be protected in every outcome.Those granted settled status under the scheme will retain that status for life, unless they allow their leave to lapse by being absent from the UK and the Islands (the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man) for a period of more than five years, or that status is revoked or cancelled, for example as a result of serious criminality.The Home Office estimates that the total number of EEA and Swiss citizens (excluding Irish citizens) eligible to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme by the end of the planned implementation period on 31 December 2020 is likely to be between 3.5 million and 4.1 million.As set out in the revised Impact Assessment for the scheme, the estimate is based on a number of assumptions as to how the size of the resident EEA population will change over the period, and on an initial estimate that 3.4 million EEA and Swiss citizens (excluding Irish citizens) were resident in the UK in the year October 2017 to September 2018. Therefore, the figure should be considered indicative as future migration flows can be affected by many factors and are difficult to predict. The revised Impact Assessment can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2019/74/pdfs/ukia_20190074_en.pdfWe are working extensively with a range of stakeholders to ensure that all those who are eligible to apply do so by the deadline of 30 June 2021 for those resident in the UK by the end of the implementation period on 31 December 2020 (or, in a no deal scenario, by 31 December 2020 for those resident in the UK by exit). We have made clear that we will take a proportionate approach to anyone who misses the deadline and will make provision for those who have reasonable grounds for doing so to apply after the deadline. Those who apply before the deadline but whose application is not decided until after the deadline will have all their rights protected until their application is concluded.

Immigration: EU Nationals

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the Home Office's strategy for ensuring that the families of EU national offenders and EU nationals in the probation system are able to apply for settled or pre-settled status through the EU Settlement Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office is working closely with the Ministry of Justice, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, the Devolved Administrations and relevant voluntary and community sector groups to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme is accessible to EU national offenders and their family members eligible to apply for status under it.

Immigrants: Detainees

baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many EU nationals are currently, or at the latest date for which information is available, held in immigration detention.

baroness williams of trafford: Information on the number of people in the detention estate, by nationality detained on the last day of each quarter is available in table dt_13_q of the detention tables https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/803188/detention-mar-2019-tables.ods in the latest release of ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending March 2019’.The latest data relate to the number in detention as at the end of March, data for the end of June is due to be published on 22 August 2019.



Detention Tables - March 2019 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 5.86 MB)

Immigration: EU Nationals

baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps theyare taking, or intend to take,to ensure that EU nationals granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme but who fail to apply for settled status and become illegal residents are not placed in immigration detention.

baroness williams of trafford: We have been clear that encouraging and supporting compliance will be at the heart of our future immigration system. As with our commitment to take a proportionate approach to anyone who has reasonable grounds for missing the deadline to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, we will also take a proportionate approach to these individuals with pre-settled status and give them every opportunity to regularise their status.As mentioned in the Statement of Intent for the EU Settlement Scheme, we intend to send a reminder to people to apply for settled status before their pre-settled status expires.We will set out further details on our approach to situations like this as part of our broader plans for the future immigration system in due course.

Immigration: EU Nationals

baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children thought to be eligible for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme have appliedto that scheme; and how many such children have been granted (1) settled, and (2) pre-settled, status.

baroness williams of trafford: The third official statistics – ‘EU Settlement Scheme Statistics, June 2019’ – on the operation of the scheme were published on 18 July 2019, including applications received by nationality and in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, along with applications concluded by outcome. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-june-2019The Home Office is committed to publishing more detailed quarterly statistics on the EU Settlement Scheme, alongside our Immigration Statistics, from August 2019. Home Office statisticians and officials are currently considering the content and will take into account the views of statistics users.

Immigration: EU Nationals

baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for applying a lower suitability threshold than for adults for children from the EU, European Economic Areaand Switzerland livingin the UK who are applying for settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: Under the relevant provisions of the Immigration (European Economic Area Regulations) 2016, children under the age of 18 benefit from a higher level of protection and can only be deported on imperative grounds of public security.The Home Office has not made an assessment of the case for applying lower suitability thresholds for children applying for settled status under the scheme. The EU law public policy and public security test will continue to apply to conduct committed before the end of the implementation period if the UK leaves the EU with a deal, or to pre-exit conduct if we leave without a deal.This is consistent with the Withdrawal Agreement and the Free Movement Directive.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the International Education Strategy: global potential, global growth, published in March, what plans they have to introduce a new system of visas for international students to (1) enable the growth of international student numbers, (2) improve their experience of applying for visas, (3) reduce the administrative burden and be cost-effective, and (4) increase the reliability, transparency and accountability of the immigration system.

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the International Education Strategy: global potential, global growth, published in March, what plans they have to introduce a new system of visas for international students which would (1) increase the diversity of applicants, (2) be accessible to all applicants, and (3) be simpler for students and sponsors to understand and navigate.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government welcomes international students and has an ambition to increase the total number of international students hosted in the UK to 600,000 per year by 2030. University-sponsored Tier 4 visa applications rose by 10% in the year ending March 2019 and are at their highest level on record. 97% of those who applied for a Tier 4 visa in 2018 were granted.As set out in the immigration white paper ‘The UK’s future skills-based immigration system’ and supporting the International Education Strategy, we will increase the post-study leave period for postgraduate students to six months, and doctorate students to a year, and make it easier for graduates to switch into skilled work in the UK. We will also increase the post-study leave period for all undergraduates studying at institutions with degree awarding powers to six-months. These changes will benefit hundreds of thousands of students.We keep the visa system under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and that the UK’s visa system is world-class, with the aim of improving the customer journey both for students and their sponsoring institutions. This will include reviewing processes for conducting interviews to ensure that these are appropriately focused and to minimise any inconvenience for applicants and continuing to consider the increased use of differentiation, streamlining the application process by allowing students to benefit from reduced documentary requirements when applying for a visa.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Victims and Survivors: Public Appointments

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to announce the appointment of the next Commissioner for Victims and Survivors in Northern Ireland.

lord duncan of springbank: The Government’s absolute priority remains the restoration of the NI Executive at the earliest opportunity. In the interim, the Government is committed to taking steps to ensure good governance and stable public services in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland, including where appropriate the making of critical public appointments. The current term of the Commissioner for Victims and Survivors ends on 31 August 2019. An announcement on this appointment will be made in due course.

Treasury

H2O Asset Management

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Young of Cookham on 15 July (HL16842 and HL16843), whether they will now answer the questions put.

lord young of cookham: Investment fund suspensions arise when demand for redemptions exceeds the liquidity in the fund. To service these redemptions, a fund may need to sell assets at a depressed market value, to the detriment of investors, while selling only the liquid assets could result in a fund breaching its investment mandate and possibly FCA rules. The Government recognises that fund suspensions can thereby act to protect the interests of investors in the fund. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for the ongoing supervision and regulation of the UK’s financial services sector, including investment funds. The FCA’s detailed rule book ensures that firms treat their customer fairly, and its robust supervision and enforcement powers mean it can, and does, take action where a firm breaches the rules. Whether or not there has been any breach of regulatory requirements relating to UK funds and any possible investigation would be a matter for the FCA. In circumstances where an investment fund is domiciled outside of the UK, the supervision of its compliance with applicable rules, such as the UCITS Directive, is a matter for the home state regulator. If individuals have concerns about their investments, they should speak to their advisor or platform. If individuals have purchased units in a fund directly, they should speak with the relevant firm.

Crowdfunding

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the Financial Conduct Authority have monitored rates of return projected by peer-to-peer lenders over the last two years; and whether such returns were assessed as to the (1) reasonableness of the projection, and (2) business record and experience of those managing the lending platform.

lord young of cookham: The Government believes that peer-to-peer platforms can deliver innovative forms of finance for both consumers and business that can provide competition in the marketplace and, as such, is keen to see the sector continue to grow and evolve while ensuring that consumers are adequately protected. The Government continues to monitor the development of the sector and engages regularly with peer-to-peer platforms to understand their business models. We do not directly monitor the rates of return offered. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is operationally independent from Government. The question as it relates to the FCA has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to Lord Myners by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Lendy

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) letter as part of the Written Answer byLord Young of Cookham on 24 June (HL16212), whether the FCA was (1) informed, or (2) otherwise aware, that investors via Lendy Limited were creditors to a peer-to-peer platform; and whether such information could have been determined from the accounts of Lendy Limited.

lord young of cookham: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to Lord Myners by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: Young People

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the rate of youth and educational travel to become more competitive with global rates.

baroness barran: Government and VisitBritain continue to assess the UK’s competitiveness against other countries, working to ensure that the UK remains the destination of choice for youth and student travellers. VisitBritain regularly engage with the British Educational Travel Association and English UK, who are members of the British Tourism Industry Group in order to stay abreast of the challenges and opportunities in this market. They use the ‘Join the world - #MyMicroGap’ marketing campaign to support youth and student travel within the UK, and have used the GREAT campaign to market to Chinese and Malaysian markets what the UK’s tourism offer is. Several Discover England Fund products have targeted the youth and student market internationally, including the England-wide The Collection and Liverpool and Warrington’s Buzzing for the Weekend. VisitBritain have also conducted research into segments of the market who visit the UK, including the youth and student market.

Tourism: Young People

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of youth travel in growing the UK tourism industry.

baroness barran: According to VisitBritain research, the UK received 12.1m visits from people aged between 16-34, who spent £7.2bn while they were here in 2018. On average they spent approximately 8 nights in the UK during their stay. With 63% of inbound travellers to the UK being return visitors, the youth travel market can be important for supporting long-term tourism growth.

Tourism: Young People

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what return they expect to make on their investment in the #MyMicrogap domestic campaign led by VisitEngland and Airbnb.

baroness barran: VisitEngland created the #MyMicroGap campaign as a match funded partnership with AirBnB of £500,000, with both parties contributing £250,000. The campaign was part of VisitBritain’s overall 2018-19 activity and as such will be included as part of the Annual Report for the year.

VisitBritain and VisitEngland: Finance

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the return amount from the grant-in-aid investments in (1) VisitBritian, and (2) VisitEngland, by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in each of the last two years.

baroness barran: British Tourist Authority analysis suggests they generated £1,055m in 2017-18, equating to a return on investment of 25:1. This is an increase on £867m in 2016-17, which equates to a return on investment of 20:1. They are unable to provide a return on investment estimate for VisitEngland or VisitBritain activity specifically.

Tourist Attractions: Low Incomes

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to review the affordability of major tourist attractions for children from lower income families.

baroness barran: As part of the recently launched Tourism Sector Deal, the Government committed to making the UK Europe’s most accessible tourism destination by 2025. As we develop our policies in this area, we will consider our policy around this. The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions ranked seven DCMS-sponsored museums, free to enter for all, amongst the nation’s top ten most visited attractions in 2018. All fifteen DCMS-sponsored museums run extensive outreach programmes for schools and young people, with free activities timed to coincide with school summer holidays.

Music: Tourism

baroness doocey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of live music venues to music tourism in the UK.

baroness barran: The Government recognises the significant contribution of live music to the UK, both culturally and economically. Live music venues are hugely important to the UK’s music tourism industry, which - according to UK Music - generated £4 billion in spend in 2017. That is why we have undertaken a number of measures to support and protect this sector, including reforming licensing and planning and introducing the Live Music Act, making it easier for promoters and venues to put on live music events. VisitBritain research shows that in 2017, over 2.6m international visitors attended a live music event while visiting Great Britain, representing 7% of the total visitors received.

Pornography: Internet

baroness howe of idlicote: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned research into online pornography use and its effect on attitudes and behaviours towards women and girls; and if so, when that research will be published.

baroness barran: The Government Equalities Office has commissioned research exploring legal pornography use and its influence on harmful behaviours and attitudes towards women and girls. The research is currently in the fieldwork phase and will be published in autumn 2019.There are a number of existing pieces of research on the impact of pornography on young people and views towards age verification. S26(b) of the Digital Economy Act provides the regulator with the ability to carry out, commission or support research which it considers appropriate.

Pornography: Internet

baroness howe of idlicote: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 20 July (HL Deb, cols 883–4), on what date the age verification requirements to protect children from accessing online pornography will come into effect.

baroness barran: Once the appropriate remedial actions have been undertaken to correct a procedural error announced on 20th June, we will announce further details on timings for commencement of age verification for online pornography, giving stakeholders sufficient time to prepare.